How to check an overseas job and work visa

Verify four separate things

• Recruiter: check the licence or registration in the sending country's official register.
• Employer: contact it through details you find independently, not only the recruiter's number.
• Contract: compare the job title, pay, deductions, location, housing and return terms.
• Visa: confirm that the document permits work and verify it through the destination authority where possible.

A tourist visa is a critical warning

India's Ministry of External Affairs says valid overseas job offers must allow travel on an employment or work visa, other than a tourist visa. It warns that illegal agents often communicate only through WhatsApp and provide little or no location information ¹.

The UAE government says a visit or tourist visa does not give a person the right to work and may expose the worker to penalties and legal liability ².

Checks for UAE offers

A UAE job offer should include an offer letter issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and signed by the authorised manager. The UAE government says the reference number can be checked through MOHRE's application-status service ².

Checks for India and Kenya

India's Ministry of External Affairs publishes registered recruiting-agent information and tells jobseekers to verify the job and employer through the relevant Indian Mission when in doubt ³.

Kenya's National Employment Authority portal lists private employment agencies and foreign jobs. It provides routes to check whether an agency is legitimate and to report a fake recruitment agency ⁴.

Do not surrender control

• Do not hand over an original passport merely to prove identity before the offer is verified.
• Do not pay into a personal account without a documented reason and receipt.
• Do not travel until the visa type, employer and destination match the signed contract.
• Give a trusted person copies of the contract, passport, visa, employer contact and itinerary.